Icebreaker mill with roll and adjustable breaker plate



June 23, 1953 R. T. cLAwsoN ICEBREAKER MILL WITH ROLL AND ADJUSTABLE BREAKER PLATE Filed Jau. 15, 1951 Aff 4b gf Tlllllilll ||||||ll|ll|||lllllllflllillllllxll A. l I I l l l I l l l l l l l l l l l l l I| June 23, 1953 R. T. cLAwsoN ICEBREAKER MILL WITH ROLL AND ADJUSTABLE BREAKER PLATE Filed Jari. 15, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. ef 17':Jr 024146022,

Patented June 23, 1953 ICEBREAKER MILL WITH ROLL AND ADJUSTABLE BREAKER PLATE Robert T. Clawson, Flagtown, N. J., assignor to Clawson Machine Company, Flagtown, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application January 13, 1951, Serial No. 205,900

2 Claims. l

This invention relates to ice cube dispensing mechanism, and has reference, more particularly,

. to mechanism for such purpose which is adapted to be incorporated in ice cube production apparatus, whereby ice cubes formed in and discharged from the latter apparatus may be optionally delivered therefrom either as cube units or in crushed fragmentary form.

The invention has for an object to provide an ice cube dispensing mechanism having an ice cube receiving hopper, the lower portion of the interior of which is subdivided to provide separate discharge passages, one of which passages contains ice cube crushing means; manipulatable means being provided to close either discharge passage when the other discharge passage is open, whereby ice cubes discharged through the mechanism may be optionally delivered therefrom either intact or in the form of crushed ice.

The invention has for a further object to provide an ice cube dispensing mechanism, characterized as above stated, having power actuated ice cube crushing means including means to adjust and regulate the operation thereof whereby to selectively produce crushed ice of coarse, medium or fine fragmentation.

Other objects of the invention, not at this time more particularly enumerated, will be understood from the following detailed description of the same.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front side elevationa1 View of the ice cube dispensing mechanism according to the invention, the same being shown as operatively related to an ice cube producing apparatus, the latter being schematically represented and shown by .broken line delineation.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the ice cube dispensing mechanism per se; yand Fig. 3 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view of said mechanism, taken on line 3--3 in Fig. 2.

Similar characters of reference are employed in the hereinabove described views, to indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings, the ice cube dispensing mechanism comprises a hopper body which is preferably formed by correspondingly shaped, laterally opposed body shells I0 and II; said body shells being secured together by bolts I2, or other suitable fastening means. The hopper body thus provided is open at its top and bottom. The upper interior of the hopper body forms a receiving chamber I3 which is provided at its respective ends with downwardly and inwardly inclined bottom Walls I4 and I5. The lower interior of the hopper body is subdivided by a transverse partition I6, whereby to form a discharge passage I'l at one side thereof, and a second discharge passage I8 at the opposite side thereof. Pivotally supported by a transverse shaft I9, which is journaled in and between the side walls of the hopper body and contiguous to the top edge of the partition I6, is a movable passage cover and chute plate 20. This plate 20 can be swung, about its bottom end pivotal point, to the left to engage its free end with a stop 'shoulder or seat 2l which terminates the hopper chamber bottom wall I4, in which position said plate closes the discharge passage Il and cooperates with said inclined bottom wall I4 to form a chute adapted to deflect ice cubes from the hopper chamber I3 into the discharge passage I8 (see full line delineation of plate 20 in Fig. 2). Optionally, the plate 20 can be swung to the right to engage its free end in a stop shoulder or seat 22 which terminates the hopper chamber bottom wall I5, in which position said plate closes the discharge passage I8 and cooperates with said inclined bottom wall I5 to form a chute adapted to deflect ice cubes from the hopper chamber I3 into the discharge passage I1 (see broken line delineation of plate 20 in Fig. 2).

Manipulating means for actuating the passage cover and chute plate 20 is externally mounted on the front face of the hopper body, and comprises a driver sprocket 23 with which is connected a nger knob 24 by which the same may be turned. Fixed on an external end of the pivoting shaft I9 by which the plate 20 is supported is a driven sprocket 25, which is driven by a sprocket chain 26 from the driver Isprocket 23. By turning the finger knob 24 to the left the plate 20 is swung to the position in which it closes the discharge passage I'l and opens the discharge passage I8, and by turning the iinger knob to the right said plate 20 is swung to the position in which it closes the discharge passage I8 and opens the discharge passage Il.

Mounted within the discharge passage I8 of the hopper body is a power actuated ice cube crushing means. This ice cube crushing means compri-ses a crusher roll 21, the shaft 28 of which is journaled in and between bearings 29 with which the respective side walls of the hopper body are provided, thus disposing the crusher roll across the discharge passage I8. The crusher roll 21 is provided with a plurality of sharp ended ice pick elements 30 which are suitably disposed 1n axial and crcumferentially spaced relation for angular projection substantially tangential `to the roll periphery. Affixed to the hopper body, for longitudinal extension from the end thereof in which the discharge passage I8 is located, is a platform 3|, and supported on said platform is an electric motor 32. A drive pulley 33 which is fixed on the armature shaft of the motor 32 transmits the power of the motor through a transmission belt 34 to a pulley 35 which is fixed on an external end of the crusher roll shaft 28, whereby to drive the crusher roll.

Mounted within and across the hopper body interior, adjacent to the outlet end of the discharge passage I8 and beneath the partition I6, is a substantially horizontal breaker plate 36. The forward marginal portion of said breaker plate is opposed to the crusher roll 21, and is indented to provide a plurality of spaced breaker fingers 31 between which the pick elements 30 of the crusher roll pass, when said crusher roll is rotated. As thus disposed, the breaker plate is slidably supported by its ends upon supporting ledges 38 with which the internal faces of the hopper body side walls are provided, thus being movable toward and from the crusher roll whereby to selectively space the breaker fingers relative to the periphery of the latter, and thereby to selectively predetermine the degree of fragmentation of ice cubes which undergo the cooperative crushing action of the pick elements and breaker fingers 31. The closer the breaker fingers 31 are set toward the crusher roll periphery, the finer Will be the fragmentation of the crushed ice cubes; and, conversely, the farther from the periphery of the crusher roll the breaker fingers are spaced, the coarser will be the fragmentation of the crushed ice cubes.

To selectively predetermine the degree of ice cube fragmentation during the crushing operation, means is provided for adjusting the breaker plate toward and from the crusher roll. To this end, a carrier shaft or rod 39 extends through the body of the breaker plate 36 so that the free opposite end portions thereof project outwardly through slots or ways 40 formed in the side walls of the hopper body. Journaled in and between bearing members 4I, which project externally from the end of the hopper body in which the discharge passage I8 is located, is a transverse rock-shaft 42. Fixed on one end of this rockshaft is a sectoral lever member 43 having arcuately spaced stop seats 44 in its inner face adapted to be selectively engaged by a springpressed detent 45 which is housed in the adjacent Wall of the hopper body. Fixed on the extremity of the same end of the rock-shaft 42 is a finger knob 46 by which the rock-shaft can be turned. The sectoral lever member 43 is connected with one end of the carrier shaft or rod 39 of the breaker plate 36 by a link 41. Fixed on the opposite end of the rock-shaft 42 is a lever member 48 which is connected by a link 49 to the opposite end of the carrier shaft or rod 39 of the breaker plate 36. It will be obvious that by turning the rock-shaft 42 by means of the finger knob 46, the lever members 43 and 48 Will transmit motion through the links 41 and 49 to the breaker plate 36, whereby to selectively adjust the spaced relation of the latter to the crusher roll 21; such spaced relation being selected by the position of the sectoral lever member 43 as stopped by the engagement of the detent 45 with a selected stop seat 44 of said lever member. By way of illustration, three stop seats 44 are provided, whereby to relatively position the breaker plate 36 relative to the crusher roll 21 for optional production of coarse, medium or fine fragmentation of ice cubes which are undergoing a crushing operation in the passage thereof through the dispensing mechanism.

"Ihe above described ice cube dispensing mechanism 1s especially adapted for service in connection with an ice cube freezing apparatus, and to this end said dispensing mechanism is arranged in said apparatus with the upwardly open receiving chamber I3 of the hopper body disposed to receive ice cubes which are discharged from the freezing unit 50 of the freezing apparatus 5I (see Fig. l). Preferably an inclined open mesh chute 52 leads from the discharge end of the freezing unit 50 to the receiving chamber I3 of the hopper body, so that ice cubes discharged from said freezing unit traverse said open mesh chute 52 before entering said receiving chamber, thus draining away from the discharged ice cubes any accompanying water, so as to exclude entrance of such Water into the dispensing mechanism.

If, upon discharge of ice cubes from the freezing unit 50, it is desired to deliver the same from the dispensing mechanism intact, the passage cover or chute plate 20 is manipulated so as to close the discharge passage I8 and open the discharge passage I1. Under these conditions, the ice cubes are delivered from the hopper body receiving chamber I3 through the open discharge passage I1, preferably into a removable container 53 which is deposited beneath the outlet of said discharge passage.

If, upon discharge of ice cubes from the freezing unit 50, it is desired to deliver the same from the dispensing mechanism in crushed condition, the passage cover or chute plate 20 is moved to close the discharge passage I1 and open the discharge passage I8. Under these conditions, the ice cubes pass from the receiving chamber I3 into the discharge passage I8 and, the ice cube crushing means being operative, the cubes are crushed to a desired degree of fragmentation, the resultant crushed ice being delivered preferably into a removable container 54 which is deposited beneath the outlet of said discharge passage I8.

Having now described by invention, I claim:

1. In ice breaker apparatus, a hopper provided with a passage through which to pass ice to be treated, a rotatable crusher roll within said hopper'passage, said roll having ice pick elements projecting angularly from its periphery, a flat breaker plate opposed to the crusher roll, said breaker plate having breaker fingers spaced therealong in staggered relation to the ice pick elements of the crusher roll so as to intervene therebetween, means to slidably support said breaker plate subject to bodily movement toward and from said crusher roll, and manipulatable means mounted on the hopper for moving said breaker plate whereby to adjust thevspaced relation of its breaker fingers relative to the periphery of said crusher roll, said latter means comprising a transverse rock-shaft mounted across and exteriorly of said hopper, finger knob means for manipulating said rock-shaft, lever members affixed to the ends of said rock-shaft, said breaker plate having coupling means projecting from its ends exteriorly of the hopper, the side walls of the hopper having slotways through which the coupling means extend, links connected between said lever members and coupling means, and detent means cooperative with one 5 of said lever members to releasably hold the References Cited in the le 0f this patent breaker plate in selected adjusted position. UNITED STATES PATENTS 2. Ice breaker apparatus according to claim l wherein at least one lever member is of sectoral Nuglelz Tunlgtale M gtelagg shape having an arcuate row of spaced indented 5 1 032081 Penn 15; 9 1912 stop seats in a face thereof, and wherein the 2195363 Feglg "Maryz .1940 detent means cooperative with said lever mem- 2297604 Batemyal' "Se t 29 1942 ber comprises a spring pressed detent element 2498773 Thompson F210' 28 1950 supported by the hopper wall and with which $606508 Lehman et al J 17 1952 the stop seats of said lever member are selec- 10 une tively engageable. FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date ROBERT T- CLAWSON- 6,424 Austria, Jan. 1o, 1902 

